Administrative resource abuse and violence: ISFED’s assessment of Georgia’s pre-election climate

Georgia’s authorities used administrative resources

The International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED) assessed the pre-election situation in Georgia. The organization believes that

the ruling party, Georgian Dream, has used administrative resources to gain an advantage over other parties.

ISFED also reports on alleged instances of violence and voter bribery during the election period.

According to the organization, the pre-election situation has been negatively impacted by amendments made by Parliament to the electoral code.

Some decisions made by the Communications Commission regarding media were deemed unfair and punitive in nature.

Atlantic Council staff in Georgia view the searches of their apartments related to fraudulent call centers as harassment

Searches were conducted at the office of an American consulting firm and in the apartments of staff members from the Atlantic Council

ISFED Director Nino Dolidze emphasizes that Georgia began its election campaign amid significant political polarization, following mass protests against the “foreign agents” law and various attempts by the authorities to intimidate their critics, including physical attacks.

During the election period, the government frequently expressed anti-Western and Euroskeptic messages and did not hesitate to exploit the tragedies faced by the Ukrainian people for its own purposes.

“All parties were able to conduct their election campaigns to some extent, but Georgian Dream had a considerable advantage due to administrative resources,” Dolidze notes.